EU, BARMM launch 5-year program for Bangsamoro transition

The European Union delegation to the Philippines on Monday partnered up with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to launch a five-year P1.5-billion rehabilitation project to strengthen the region’s democratic governance capacities.

The Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) program aims to help BARMM establish lasting peace and development in the region by aiding the passage of priority legislation and the establishment of a BARMM bureaucracy.

“Today’s formal launch is a milestone for the interim government because it solidifies our partnership to expedite and strengthen the transition mechanism for the new Bangsamoro political entity,” Bangsamoro Parliament Speaker Atty. Pangalian Balindong said in a statement.

The SUBATRA will strengthen BARMM’s capacities to drive and coordinate key policies, exercise lawmaking, oversight functions, adjudicate litigations, improve access to justice, and contribute to a peaceful transition.

Along with implementing partners United Nations Office for Project Services, the Bangsamoro Development Agency, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development, and the Consortium of the Bangsamoro Civil Society, the EU emphasized its commitment to BARMM and its efforts to support the region in achieving lasting peace and development.

The SUBATRA program will end in June 2025. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/KBK, GMA News